Radiculopathy

Your absolutely right Knight...no one wants this kind of negative energy on threads. This is a support forum. Healthy discussion is fine in certain parts of the forum but this post isnt where it needs to be or belongs.

As you say everyone experiences differently...

After this last surgery, I was on Valium (Diazepam) for my spasms, and it decreased my radiculopathy & neuropathy to almost nothing. I was in heaven! Then, after a couple months, they took my sweet, sweet relief away. I went back on Baclofen, and my spasticity & nerve pain came back with a vengeance! I'm taking 20-30mg of Baclofen per day, up from 10mg, and the spasms are almost gone, but my nerve pain is unbearable! I get shooting, shocking, burning, needle-poking, tingling, stabbing, and/or icy feelings constantly, and it feels like my big toes are going to explode. The majority of the left side of my body below the T10 level is still completely numb & pretty much useless.

My primary doctor is so tough to get in to talk to through the phone, much less to see in person, so I'm struggling to get a referral to the Pain Clinic that is an hour away. I can hardly sleep, and when I finally do, I wake up exhausted and sometimes in tears. I feel like I'm losing my mind!

I've exhausted all of the medication options for nerve pain that my doctors and I can think of; nothing works. Keppra (Levitiracetem) worked well for the first year, but it gave me kidney stones. (ouch!) I then tried Neurontin (Gabapentin), which caused heart spasms & chest pain. I tried Alpha-Lipoic Acid next, and it doubled my nerve pain. Then, Lyrica, which gave me hives and sores on my scalp. Opiates don't do anything and neither do Ativan (lorazepam) or Zoloft (sertraline). (Zoloft helps my depression anxiety though.)

I've heard of people getting their spinal cord severed the rest of the way because their nerve pain was so bad, but I can't/won't do that. I like my function. I'm not going to lie, I have thought about it though. I'm lost here... My nerve pain alone is at a 7 or 8 every second. I get no relief, and hardly sleep anymore. I guess I'm just getting this off my chest because I'm frustrated and so upset. Nobody will help me! *cries*

I'm sorry to hear that Knight

Something must not be right if you're still having pain despite the amount of meds you're taking. Try doing some physio, maybe your body needs activity/exercise?

Damn Knight, I really don't know what to say/suggest.

If anyone is from the Boston area, the Translational Pain Research Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital is seeking individuals who have lumbar radiculopathy, a type of pain associated with herniated discs (sometimes called "sciatica"), to participate in a research study.

Volunteers who qualify for the study will be reimbursed for their time and travels to and from BWH.

For more information please call 617-525-7246 (PAIN) or email PainTrials@partners.org

How about people who use cannibis?